Professional photojournalist Mark M. Hancock discusses photojournalism and the eccentricities associated with gathering images for daily newspapers and magazines.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Sam Rayburn Lake

A small area around Sam Rayburn Lake is trying to initiate a special district tax to improve the area's infrastructure. The tax will apply only to restaurants and hotels in the area. The area hosts about 1.5 million visitors annually. Many visitors come for fishing tournaments and the boundless natural scenery.

A family plays on a secluded beach on the lakeshore of Lake Sam Rayburn on Thursday, June 9, 2005. The lake, which has more than 500 miles of shoreline, is the largest lake completely contained within the Texas borders.

(Above, left, below) Rayburn Country Resort near Lake Sam Rayburn features a swimming pool as well as an award-winning golf course. The resort's clubhouse restaurant will be affected by the new tax.

(Below) A butterfly searches for nourishment at Rayburn Country Resort near Lake Sam Rayburn. The area is home to various wildlife as well as being part of annual migratory paths of butterflies and birds.

I chimp for a white highlight around water. Everything else goes dark, but I can recover the information and it bumps up the saturation.The problem down here is atmospheric affect. Between the humidity and frequent logging burns, the air is thick and blue. It was really a problem on this lake because the lake is so wide that the particles are held aloft all day as the lake evaporates.